By Request Collection April-June 2016. Оливия Гейтс

had to leave.

      The sooner, the better. Where the hell was George, anyway? On top of everything else, Tucker was getting worried about his friend. He was no spring chicken, although Tucker would never say that to his face. George was about ten years younger than Tucker’s father…his adopted father. He’d been a police officer in Brooklyn for years, worked vice and homicide, and he’d gotten more than a few commendations. But he’d hated the bureaucratic red tape, quit the force and got his private investigator’s license.

      He’d met Michael Brennan during a bar fight. Neither man had meant to be in that particular bar. Just passing the time in what normally was a quiet place in Manhattan. The fight had nothing to do with them, but together they’d stopped it, not without injury. Nothing that a couple of cold ones hadn’t fixed, though.

      They’d stayed friends till the end of Michael’s life. George had helped carry the casket. If something happened to George because of this investigation, Tucker would find it difficult to forgive himself.

      He dialed the man’s number again, only to have it go straight to voice mail. He left a message that was as succinct as he could make it. Seconds after he’d hung up, he heard the front door close.

      Of course, Jesse had heard him. You could hear a mouse fart from upstairs in this place. At least Tucker hadn’t said anything that would get him in trouble.

      Leaving the bathroom, he stayed put and didn’t go looking for Annie. He supposed in a few minutes he’d find Jesse, do the polite thing and socialize, but for now, he needed to sort out a few things.

      First, a flight plan. He had the number for the Kalispell city airport in his wallet, and he called in for an 8:00 p.m. departure. That would give him five more hours with Annie. Which wasn’t enough time, not by a long shot.

      More of an issue was how in hell was he going to tell her that he was Christian’s brother? Not this afternoon. Too soon, not enough information. He wasn’t ready. He was scared out of his friggin’ mind that she’d hate him.

      He tried to imagine her reaction to his explanation, but he couldn’t get past the look of certain betrayal he’d see in her beautiful blue eyes. Even if she listened to everything he had to say, she could have her own reasons for not wanting to face what she’d left behind. He wouldn’t presume to tell her what she should do. A night of sex didn’t give him any rights.

      Except it hadn’t just been sex, and that was the problem. Damn, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this powerless. Or this infatuated with a woman.

      The cabin door opened, and Jesse stuck his head in. “Am I interrupting?”

      “Nope. I’m done making belligerent phone calls.”

      “No problem. I’m here on a mission.” Jesse snorted. “I have to get the matzo ball soup out of the cooler, put it in the dark blue bowl and leave it in the microwave.”

      Tucker had to laugh. “That’s a pretty serious assignment you have there, son. I was there when she ordered that soup. Messing up would not be wise.”

      “Thanks for the heads-up.”

      Tucker knew which container held the soup, so he brought it out.

      “I gotta say…” Jesse found the specified bowl. “That check you wrote for Safe Haven was a hell of a gesture.”

      “I consider it a great investment.”

      Jesse’s faint grin spoke loudly.

      “Yes, it’s because of Annie.” Tucker only felt defensive because he was already edgy. “She’s doing an excellent job here.”

      “No one said you can’t have more than one reason for doing something.”

      “Yeah, well, I suppose I asked for that.” Lack of sleep was getting to him. “By taking her to Kalispell overnight. Hope that doesn’t give her grief.”

      “Sadie will take care of any gossip.”

      Tucker liked Jesse and his unhurried, easygoing manner. “I’m concerned about the winters here. Annie being alone. You have some kind of system set up to check on her?”

      “Glad you asked,” Jesse said, closing the microwave. “My brothers, me and several other nearby ranchers keep in touch. When it’s bad, we come in shifts, so we can all take care of our own stock. It kind of depends on how many animals Annie has here. We haven’t had to rescue her yet, though. She keeps up on the snow maintenance, so she has clear paths. That’s one reason we need that tractor fixed. It doubles as her snowplow in winter, and we can’t let her be without that.”

      “I’ve been dealing with the drought so long, I haven’t given much thought to severe winter conditions. I’m glad to hear you all are pitching in.”

      “Winter’s tricky. I’m able to fly most days. Sometimes we’ll get stuck in a cycle that shuts everything down, but the airports are well maintained. If you ever want to fly back, give me a call. I’ll let you know the conditions, give you the coordinates for the private airfield I use. I checked it out already. You’re welcome there anytime.”

      Tucker leaned back against the counter. “I’ll be sure and take your number. Thank you.”

      “She’s the real McCoy, you know,” Jesse said, taking a seat on one of the wooden chairs. “My…Shea has been known to keep Annie in coffee when she needs it, and food. Annie’s gone without, though. Not sure how often, but more than once.”

      “You don’t have to sell me on her. I’m going to do what I can to get some funding for this place. Steady funding.”

      “Good enough.” Jesse kicked out a second chair. “So tell me about your plane before the women come and monopolize us. I’ve been meaning to ask you about it since you arrived.”

       14

      “I DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT WORDS,” Annie said softly, watching Puff, the beautiful chocolate-brown foal, find her footing with unmanageable legs.

      “You’re doing pretty well,” Shea answered. “To be honest, I only understand because of what’s happened with me and Jesse. I had no idea that people could honestly fall in love in such a short time. I’d always thought it was fiction.”

      Annie jerked her head up to stare at Shea. “I’m not in love with him. I didn’t say love.”

      Shea pressed her lips together as she lifted her shoulders. “Sorry. I know you didn’t say the word, but the way you speak about him. I guess I was wrong.”

      “Really? What I said made you think…?”

      Nodding, Shea met Annie’s gaze with the honesty she’d come to respect. “I can’t tell you what you feel. In fact, I’m terrible when it comes to reading people. But your body language changed when you were telling me about the way you two talked in the car. And you just lit up about him taking you to the salon.”

      “Huh.” Annie thought about the past twenty minutes. After being given a rundown on Safe Haven, she’d told Shea almost everything that had happened. Not the details, of course. There’d been so much else to say. His kindness. The laughter. The way she felt connected to him. Maybe Shea was right. If things were different, Annie might have let herself think it was love. But if she went there, she didn’t know if she could bear him leaving. And how could she keep her secret from someone she loved?

      She crossed her arms over her chest and stared down at her boots. “I want to tell him what happened. So badly, Shea, I can hardly breathe. I hate the lies and the hiding.”

      “Then tell him.”

      “I can’t. I’m a criminal. I’m working under a false name. I’ve lied to him from the start.”